Zofran Lawsuit Attorneys in Indianapolis

Assisting Infants & Families throughout Indiana

The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved
Zofran to help alleviate nausea for cancer patients after chemotherapy or surgery.
Shortly thereafter, the pharmaceutical company
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), responsible for Zofran, began marketing the drug for an illegal
“off-market” use. They promoted the drug for pregnant women
suffering from morning sickness despite having knowledge of potential
dangers and despite the fact that
the FDA had never approved this use for Zofran. Approximately one million women a year took Zofran for morning sickness,
never suspecting the drug could cause significant harm to their unborn children.

The attorneys at Wagner Reese, LLP are currently working on behalf of families
whose babies were born with Zofran-related birth defects, such as cleft
palate. If you or anyone you know took this drug for morning sickness
while pregnant and gave birth to a child with a cleft palate, heart defect,
or any of the
below birth defects, you may have a Zofran lawsuit case against GlaxoSmithKline.

Who Is GlaxoSmithKline?

GSK is a very large British pharmaceutical company with some even bigger
challenges. The drug company, the sixth largest in the world as of 2015,
has annual profits of over 20 billion pounds ($28,662,000,000 USD). In
2012, GSK paid a three billion dollar settlement after pleading guilty
to federal charges of fraud and illegal marketing of several drugs, including
Zofran. In February 2016, GSK was fined more than 37 billion pounds ($53,024,700,000
USD) in a UK antitrust suit in which the drug company was found to have
prevented competition for generic drugs.

What Is Zofran?

Zofran was developed in 1991 and in known in generic form as ondansetron.
As mentioned previously, it was approved for use in preventing nausea
in chemotherapy patients. Despite not having approval for use in pregnant
women, GSK heavily marketed Zofran to women experiencing morning sickness
in their first trimester. It is available in oral and injectable form.

What Are the Claims Against GSK?

Documentation from court proceedings shows that the company knew in the
early 1990s that the drug passes through the human placenta to a fetus.
This makes clear they knew there was an “unreasonable risk of harm”
to fetal development.

The claims currently being made include the following:

GSK fraudulently stated to patients that Zofran was safe for pregnant women.

GSK did not provide an appropriate warning to the public about the seriousness
of its potential side effects.

What Birth Defects Can Be Caused by Zofran?

The below is not an exhaustive list, but includes some of the most commonly
reported or studied defects that are likely to be tied to use of Zofran
during pregnancy:

Heart defects: Zofran has been linked to defects and structural abnormalities of the
heart, such as atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, hole in
the heart, and heart murmurs.

Facial and oral malformations: These types of defects, including cleft lip and cleft palate, occur very
early in a pregnancy and are one of the most common defects tied to Zofran
use. The Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention published research
indicating that mothers who took Zofran during the first trimester were
twice as likely to have a baby with a cleft palate.

Congenital kidney and bladder defects: Another serious group of potential side-effects includes defects in the
kidneys. Zofran is believed to cause structural defects but can also cause
hydronephrosis.

Congenital respiratory defects: The most common respiratory defects linked to Zofran include neonatal
respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal apnea.

Limb defects: There have been nearly two dozen reports of congenital limb defects, including
cases of “talipes” or clubfoot.

File Your Claim Now

Drug lawsuits are extremely complex and slow-moving. At this time, there
have not been large settlements in Zofran lawsuits, as lawyers collaborate
in the sharing of information and resources. If you believe your child
was affected by Zofran, it is critical to file a claim as soon as possible.
The statute of limitations depends upon when you first knew of the injuries
related to the drug, as well as the state in which you live. This is not
as simple as it sounds, but an experienced attorney, such as those at
Wagner Reese, can help. If your claim against GSK is not filed within
the statute of limitations, you will lose your right to compensation for your
baby’s injuries.

Wagner Reese offers a free consultation about your case, and even better,
we do not take payment unless there is a verdict or settlement in your
favor. Going to court against a billion-dollar pharmaceutical company
can be daunting, and it is a grueling process; however, with the help
of our experienced Indianapolis product liability attorneys, you can fight
against the drugmaker who knowingly put you and your baby at risk, and
you can win. Though nothing can undo the damage that has been done, you
can still gain the compensation you need to help your child live as close
to a normal life as possible.

Meet Our TEAM

Our attorneys have more than nine decades of collective legal experience
and have been honored, both by their peers and by a number of prestigious
legal organizations, for their commitment to quality legal services and
the highest level of ethics. Most of all, our attorneys understand that,
for you, this isn’t just another case. It’s your life. Because of this,
we are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized legal services
tailored to your unique needs. We take your specific situation into account
and work to provide custom legal solutions that suit your particular goals.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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